The Buffalo Bills didn’t have a lot of overpaid players in 2016. Many of them played to their pay scale, which is the foundation of a good NFL team. Some even played above their pay grade (and we’ll get to them starting next week).
Here is our list of the top 10 most overpaid Bills in 2016:
1. RB Reggie Bush ($1.5 million cap hit)
Excerpt: He finished with -3 yards on 12 carries in 13 games. He did add a touchdown and 90 yards on seven receptions but also fumbled once.
2. K Dan Carpenter ($2.6 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “Ranking 31st in field goal percentage (76%) and 27th in extra point percentage (89%) among players with ten or more attempts, Carpenter wasn’t just a bad value, he was bad period.”
3. DE Jerry Hughes ($7.6 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “He was also flagged eight times for 80 yards. Both figures led the team.”
4. DT Marcell Dareus ($12.7 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “With a contract of that size taking up more than 8% of the team’s total cap, Dareus needs to be transcendent and win games on his own. He clearly didn’t do that, even when he was healthy.”
5. WR Percy Harvin ($1 million cap hit plus $2 million dead cap hit)
Excerpt: “Two catches for a combined $3 million cap hit isn’t a great value. They were in a tough spot and responded as best they could signing a veteran, it just didn’t work out.”
6. OL Patrick Lewis ($900,000 cap hit)
Excerpt: “In all, Lewis played in one game for 17 snaps despite Wood missing half the season.”
7. DL Corbin Bryant ($1.67 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “He collected five tackles despite playing more than 20% of the team’s defensive and special teams snaps.”
8. CB Stephon Gilmore ($11.1 million)
Excerpt: “As far as cap numbers go, Gilmore’s was the second-highest on the team and the sixth-highest among NFL cornerbacks. Gilmore’s figure represented 7.27% of Buffalo’s entire salary cap in 2016.”
9. OT Jordan Mills ($1.67 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “Over the course of two games in the middle of the season, he surrendered 17 pressures and four sacks against the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks, according to Pro Football Focus.”
10. WR Sammy Watkins ($5.4 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “If you double [his] numbers to a 16-game season, they are pretty pedestrian for a top wideout; 56 catches, 860 yards, and four touchdowns. Those doubled numbers would be 49th, 36th, and 35th among all wide receivers, respectively.”
HM: TE Charles Clay ($6 million cap hit)
Excerpt: “Clay’s $6 million cap hit was slightly more than Watkins ($5.4 million) but he was an excellent blocker, led the team in receptions and touchdown catches, and placed respectably in statistical rankings of tight ends around the NFL.”
Read all the individual posts and share your list in the comments or have your questions answers. Who did we leave off? What deserves an explanation? Who do you want to complain about? I’ll answer every query in the comments section.